Tongue-support



(No Model.)

J. M. HAAS.

TONGUE SUPPORT. No; 278,938. Patented June 5,1883.

mlizessea.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. HAAS, OF XVABASH, INDIANA.

TONGUE- SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 278,938, dated June 5,1883.

Application filed May 12, 1883. (No model.) A

To aZZ whom it may concern..- 7

Be it known that 1, JAMES H. Haas, a citizen of the United States,residing at IVabash,

.in the county of Vabash and State of Indiana,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tongue and ThillSupports, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in tongueand thill supports.

The object of my invention is to provide a safe and durable support forshafts or thills and tongues of vehicles, that said shafts and thillsmay be turned up to a vertical position when not in use; and, further,another object is to prevent either end of the shafts or thills fromfalling to the ground or against the animals heels should either end ofsaid shafts or thills become detached from the vehicle. I accomplishthese objects by means of the peculiar construction and arrangement ofthe different parts of my device, which will be more fully pointed outand described in the specification and claims, in which Figure 1 is aperspective view of my device, showing the axle, bracket, end of shaft,and curved spring. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the bracket, and Fig. 3 avertical sectional view of all the parts.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

Reference being had to drawings, A repre-' sents one end of a pair ofshafts or thills attached to a metal end piece, D, having its outer endenlarged and perforated in the usual form to receive abolt, Axle B, ofany desired form or size, is clasped by a shaft-coupling clip, 0, havingprojecting ears, perforated to receive bolt 0, between which, in theusual form, the end piece, D, is held. A curved metal springpiece, E, issecured at its outer end to the under side of end piece, D, by aclip-bolt, (I, said bolt being screw-threaded and provided with a nutadapted to turn up against the outer face of said spring E. The innerend of spring E is curved in S shape and the outer end adapted to fit onthe under surface of end piece, D, and by being held securely with bolt(Z the free endis permitted to spring and conform to the purposedesigned. A rectangular bracket, F, having a cross-bar, e, at its outerend, and perforations 0, adapted to register with the perforations inthe projecting ears of clip 0, said bracket being formed withrightangular vertical shoulders a, adapted to fit against the front faceof axle B, said shoulders terminating in right-angular horizontalprojections 12, adapted to fit against the under face of axle B, asshown in Fig. l, the purpose of which is to prevent the end of the shaftor thill from falling or becoming entirely disconnected from axle B, andto hold the shafts in a vertical position when not in use.

The operation of the device is as follows: \Vhen driving or using thevehicle withan animal attached, the metal end piece, D, is frequentlybroken at a point between the end of the overlying wood and the enlargedperforated end, through which passes the clip-bolt c. In case of suchbreakage the inner curve of spring E'rests by its shoulder against theinner face of cross-bar e, where, by its peculiar formation, it restssecure "and prevents the end of the shaft from dropping to the ground oragainst the animals heels, thus preventing accidents or injury to theoccupants of the vehicle; and, furthermore, when desired to place theshafts in a vertical position, the operator end of spring E fits againstthe cross-bar 6, when the shafts are securely held in a verticalposition. When desired. for use, a reverse movement only is required toplace the shafts in position for the animal and leave the free end ofspring E within the bracket F.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent,

1. A shaft-supporting device consisting of an angular bracket adapted tobe bolted to a shaft-coupling and abut against the front and under faceof an axle, and a curved spring secured to the shaft near. its innerend, said spring adapted to rest against the inner face stantially asshown and specified.

2., In a shaft-supporter, the combination of the axle B, clip 0, bolt 0,and the angular bracket F with the shaft A, the end D, clipbolt d, andthe curved spring E, all arranged and operated substantially as shownand de' scribed;

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES H. HAAS.

\Vitnesses:

H. B. ZEVELY, D. P. HOLLOWAY.

raises the shafts until the outer curved free of the crossbar formed in'said bracket, sub-

